OK THE YOUKO Of BIRDS. fjl 



Hen will lay one every day for many weeks provided one 

 only be left in the nest, although, if left to herself, she 

 usually sits upon about fifteen. And Ray* informs us, 

 on the authority of Dr. Lister, that a Swallow, whose 

 usual number is about five, having the eggs subtracted in a 

 similar way, laid nineteen successively and then gave over. 



Young birds, when hatched, are of two kinds: one has 

 down upon the body, the eyes open, and will pick up its 

 food almost immediately on leaving the shell ; such are 

 the young of many or most of the aquatic tribes, and those 

 of the Hen, Pheasant, Partridge, &c. ; the mother by 

 quaking or clucking calling the young's attention to its 

 food : the nests of such birds are usually on the ground. 

 The other kinds (those for the most part whose nests are 

 built on some elevation) are completely naked and the 

 eyes closed ; these require to be fed by the parent bird for 

 two, or sometimes more, weeks. The eagerness with 

 which these all rear up their heads and open their mouths, 

 upon the least disturbance of the nest, is truly astonishing. 

 They however soon become covered with feathers ; from 

 one to two weeks are, in general, a sufficient time to render 

 them full fledged and able to fly. During this period they 

 are, of course, often covered by the parent bird. The first 

 kind are hived by the mother, for some time, very often during 

 the day, and, of course, during the night ; and afterwards, at 

 longer intervals, for two, three, and sometimes more weeks, 

 according to the more or less genial warmth of the season. 

 It may be mentioned too that many of the useful or 

 harmless tribe of birds have often two, sometimes more, 

 broods in a season ; and that their eggs are commonly more 

 or less numerous — the Hens, the Ducks, the Partridges, &c. 

 are peculiarly so ; while the eggs of the more rapacious 



* Wisdom of God manifested in the works of Creation. 

 8vo. 1719, page 119. 



